Verstappen 'exploded' after 'married couple' argument - Marko

Red Bull Motorsport Advisor Helmut Marko hailed Max Verstappen's Belgian Grand Prix qualifying 'explosion' after the F1 championship leader obliterated the field.

The Dutchman finished eight-tenths faster than nearest challenger Charles Leclerc on a drying track at Spa-Francorchamps.

But Verstappen will provisionally start Sunday's Grand Prix sixth on the grid having taken a new gearbox for the event, promoting the Ferrari driver to pole.

"We didn't have a flawless Q2, it was close. But in Q3 Max 'exploded', which was an incredible demonstration. We actually expected that a little bit," Marko told Sky Sports DE.

Married couple

Having almost been eliminated in Q2, Verstappen was involved in a heated discussion with race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase.

"It was like an old married couple," joked Marko.

"They argued for a while about when to go. But now everything is all right again.

"That's Max when he's under pressure or when he doesn't perform as he could because he always wants the maximum. That's one of the traits that makes him so incredibly competitive.

"I think he was the best in all three sectors. He had one mistake in turn nine and his first corner was not optimal once as well.

"But he registers that and Max only makes those mistakes once. When the pressure is on, he delivers."